The provision of a mechanical seal assembly for preventing leakage along a rotary shaft extending into or through a housing, such as a pump housing, has involved the utilization of double and tandem seals, each including a pair of complemental relatively rotatable seal rings respectively carried by the housing and the shaft through suitable mounting means. Where high temperature fluids are encountered, the seal assembly, and more particularly the seal rings may be cooled by a coolant fluid circulated through the seal chamber and through a surrounding heat exchanger. To assist in cooling, the heat exchanger may be exposed externally of the housing or may be subjected to air flow induced by a fan rotatable with the shaft.
However, such assemblies are, in general composed of sub-assemblies and components which require substantial work to assemble and disassemble the seal and cooling components, notwithstanding the existence of certain cartridges or seal assemblies which are susceptible of preliminary assembly and subsequent installation in the seal chamber of the housing as a unit.